Uber, Lyft unveil plans to pilot London robotaxis next year

(Sharecast News) - Uber and Lyft both announced on Monday that they are teaming up with Chinese self-driving giant Baidu to pilot autonomous taxis in London next year. "Testing is expected to start in the first half of 2026, under the UK's frontier plan to begin trials for self-driving vehicles," Uber said, unveiling a new partnership with Baidu's Apollo Go vehicles across the capital.

Baidu, the world's largest autonomous vehicle operator with over 17m rideshare rides across 22 cities globally, officially launched its purpose-built robotaxi Apollo Go in 2020, before starting the first commercial pilot programme in Beijing in 2022.

According to Chinese firm, the partnership "marks Apollo Go's foray into another major right-hand drive market, building on the validated experience gained from expanding testing in Hong Kong since receiving the city's first permit in late 2024".

"Dozens" of vehicles will be on London's roads next year, according to Lyft's chief executive David Risher, "with plans to scale to hundreds from there".

"Our hybrid network - AVs and drivers working together - will serve all of London's travel needs," Risher said in a post on X. "We're working closely with Transport for London regulators and local communities to expand the rideshare market and create more opportunities for everyone," Risher said.

In a post, transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: "We're planning for self-driving cars to carry passengers for the first time from Spring, under our pilot scheme - harnessing this technology safely and responsibly to transform travel."

Uber's stock was up 1.4% in pre-market trading on Monday at $80.42, while Lyft rose 1.3% to $19.68.